Forever Fades Away
by IBleedForA7X
Summary: Cody has done some terrible things, and wants to make them right. Does he have a fairy tale ending, or will it end in disaster?


Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own. Not true.  
Lyrics belong to the one, the only, the amazing, THE BOSS.  
Bruce Springsteen  
The song is entitled _**Atlantic City**_  
Title belongs to Tiger Army, off their album **Music From Regions Beyond**  
I will be reffering to him as Rhodes, rather than his true surname.

Author's Note: This is kinda AU.

_**Forever Fades Away**_

_**Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night  
Now they blew up his house too  
Down on the boardwalk they're gettin' ready for a fight  
Gonna see what them racket boys can do**_

Cody Rhodes pulled his coat tighter about his slender form, trying to shield himself from the chill of the rain that was pouring around him.  
He covered his twilight blue eyes, so hard and emotionless from weeks of running, hiding, plotting.  
All he wanted was to hear her voice.  
He knew he was risking everything by showing up at the small gas station, but it was the only place where he could find a phone where, if the line were traced, got no one in trouble.

He walked briskly to the phone booth, wrenching the door open in his haste.  
Hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans, phone cradled between his unshaven cheek and damp shoulder, he hastily removed the little bit of coin money he'd picked up just for this moment, nearly dropping it in his hurry.

He heard the tone as he waited with baited breath.  
He glanced around him quickly, before hanging his head and checking the time on his watch.  
He sighed, knowing it was likely his fiancé was long asleep by 2:37 in the morning.  
But there was a small spark of hope left in him that she might, just might…

"Hello?" said a voice softly, gently, on the other end.

The spark flared into a full fledged flame in an instant.

"Helen," he breathed, praying he hadn't fallen asleep and was dreaming her voice.

There was a moment's pause, an almost uncertain silence from the other end.  
Cody felt his heart thumping wildly against his chest.  
He's only been away a few weeks.  
Did he sound so different?  
Did she not recognize the sound of her own lover's voice?

Then, very quietly, a mere whisper that could barely be heard over the threatening pound of rain around the glass, he heard it.

"Cody?"

_**Now there's trouble busin' in from outta state  
And the D.A. can't get no relief  
Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade and the  
Gamblin' commission's hangin' on by the skin of its teeth**_

For the first time since the twilight all those weeks ago when he left her peacefully asleep and blissfully unawares in their bed in their Louisville, KT home, he smiled.  
It wasn't one of the false smiles he'd been using with "business associates".  
It was a genuine, heart warming smile.  
His gaze softened, and his head swam with contentment.

His heartbeat slowed, and his breathing was calmer than before.  
Just the simple sound of his name rolling off her tongue and passed her soft lips that he missed so much.  
God, what he wouldn't give to be back in her arms.

"Helen, my darling," he murmured, almost drunk with joy.  
"Where are you? Why did you leave? What's wrong?"

Her voice, which had begun as a mere whisper, had exploded into what he should have expected to be a roar of emotion.  
Her machinegun questions were reverberating against the inside of his head, and he struggled in his sleep deprived mind to string together enough sense to calm his love.

"Darling, you have to understand---"  
"UNDERSTAND?!"  
He winced as her fury washed over him.  
"Understand _what_. Cody Riley Rhodes, am I supposed to understand why you left me in the middle of the night? No word, no note, not even a phone call to at least tell me you weren't hurt. I was worried, Cody, worried fucking **sick** over you. Your poor mother, your sister, they're both distraught. Your father's heartbroken, and a nervous wreck, Dustin's devastated, he can't figure out what went wrong. Kevin's a mess…"

Cody fully understood her frustrations, but if she would just allow him to explain.  
One of the things he'd always loved about her was her hotheadedness, her willingness to back down for nothing.  
At the moment, it was this about his lover that he had a strong distaste for.

"Helen---"  
"People thought you'd _died_."  
"Helen," he said with more urgency.  
"What if something had happened---"  
"_**HELEN**_!"  
She stopped her rambling, clearly startled by the sudden outburst from her naturally soft-spoken lover.  
"I need you to just listen to me, alright?"  
She made no noise of agreement or otherwise.  
"Please, Darling, I don't have much time."

She furrowed her brows, a sinking feeling of dread growing in her stomach.  
"What do you mean."

He took a deep, wavering breath.  
"I might not make it through the night."

_**Well now everything dies baby that's a fact  
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back  
Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty  
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City**_

"That's why I need you to listen. You're the last hope I have of getting away clean tonight."

Helen shook her head.  
"What do you mean? I don't understand."

He sighed, rubbing his face with his free hand.  
"I've done some things, Honey. Things that I wanted to bury for good before we got married. You have to understand, that's why I left. I don't expect you to understand what I've done, why I did the things I have. I don't even want you to know what terrible things they've been. But I did them. I did them for us, and it didn't work. So now, I'm fixing it. But I need your help."

His fiancé was quiet again as his confession began to melt into her mind, and she swallowed hard.

"How can I help?"

_**Well I got a job and tried to put my money away  
But I got debts that no honest man can pay  
So I drew what I had from the Central Trust  
And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus.**_**  
**  
He spoke quickly, on constant alert to every noise that wasn't the sound of the slowing rain smacking the glass.  
"There was a package that arrived for me about three days after I left."  
"Yes, it's right here! I haven't even opened it."  
"Good. See, that's the reason I left. That's the last thing I need to clear my name, but it came too late. I had to get out before they came to pick it up, because I knew they'd go straight for you."  
"Who's they?"  
"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're okay."

She nodded again, forgetting he couldn't see the gesture.

"I need you to do me a huge favor."  
"Anything."  
"Don't say that."  
"But it's true."  
"No. Because it's dangerous, and I don't blame you if you don't want to do it."  
"Shut up, Cody. What do I need to do?"

He grinned at her utter stubbornness, instantly regretting that he'd asked her.  
He could kill himself for the harm he was putting her in.

"In our bedroom, on my side of the bed," a vision flashed before his eyes.  
The feel of her skin.  
The way her moans brought chills down his spine.  
The unadulterated ecstasy painted on her face.  
He could feel her fingernails down his back, and still had the marks to remember her by.  
The memory of their last night together was still fresh in his mind, and he shook himself mentally.  
"On…on my side of the bed. About three feet from the wall behind the bed, there's a loose floorboard. Under there, there are some newspaper clippings, some notes, all in a folder. Bring it with you."

She made a noise of agreement, copying it all down as he spoke.

"Also, next to the folder, there's a switchblade and a 9mm handgun."

He could hear her frenzied writing cease at once.  
"Excuse me."  
He pressed on, ignoring her shock.  
"Bring those with you. You need to keep them handy at all times. They're for your protection."  
"Protection? Protection from what?!" she asked, almost frantically.

_**Well now everything dies baby that's a fact  
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back  
Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty  
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City**_

Cody shook his head again.  
"I told you it was dangerous, Hel."  
"Yes, but, Cody---."  
"You can still back out."  
She scoffed at the thought.  
"Then you need to trust me. And trust me when I tell you there's a chance you might need them. Especially the gun."

There was a sound on the other end, a nearly inaudible whimper of fear that shattered his heart, and he longed more than ever to simply wrap his arms around her.

"I need you to meet me, folder, package, gun, and blade, at the little Mom and Pop filling station ten minutes down the road from the Actors Theatre of Louisville, alright?"

She inhaled deeply, a steadying breath to summon her courage.

"Alright. I'll leave in five minutes."

Cody smiled gratefully.  
"That's my girl."

_**Now our luck may have died and our love may be cold  
But with you forever I'll stay  
We're goin' out where the sand's turnin' to gold so  
Put on your stockin's baby 'cause the night's getting cold  
And everything dies baby that's a fact  
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back.**_

Ten minutes later, Helen was speeding down the road, rain pelting her windshield  
She still had so many questions, burning to be answered.  
But she was more desperate to reach her fiancé, feel his arms around her again.  
The four months he'd been gone had been Hell; absolute, complete Hell.  
And she had her own secret.  
It had been difficult, coming up with excuses why.  
But she needed to tell Cody before anyone else, so she kept resolutely mum on the subject.

If things went the way she was hoping, which seemed contrary to her Woman's Intuition, she'd be a happy wife in a few short months time.

She didn't want to think about what he'd done, when he'd done it, or why he'd done it.  
She just wanted to trust that it was all over after this, and she could finally have her Cody back after a quarter of a year.

She pulled into the parking lot of the dimly lit filling station, her eyes scanning for the faintest sign of her lover.  
There was a car at the back of the lot, dark and unoccupied.  
On the other end was a lone phone booth; the only place in the lot with a true light, not the pathetic orange glow of the street lights.  
There, she could see the figure of a man, huddled in a coat, leaning against one of the walls.

She didn't have to see his face.  
She just knew.

Helen searched the ground for a rock, nut, acorn, _anything_.  
Her fingers found a rain splattered rock and lobbed it at the door of the booth.  
The man started, and her heart swelled with joy as her lover's blue gaze met her café one.

Cody wrenched the glass door opened, and for the first time in he couldn't remember how long, he felt genuinely happy and at ease.  
His jog turned into a brisk trot as he made his way to Helen, scooping her up in his arms and spinning her in the air, no cares for the slowed rain, the wet gravel, the job, the gun in her pocket; nothing.  
All that mattered was them in each other's arms.  
Helen cradled Cody's face in her hands, the tears mixing with the rain water.  
"Oh my…god, I've missed you so fucking much, Darling!" she cooed, pushing the sopping hair from his brow.  
Cody kissed her hard, savoring the taste and feel of her.

"How very touching."

_**Now I been lookin' for a job but it's hard to find  
Down here it's just winners and losers and don't get caught on the wrong side of that line  
Well I'm tired of comin' out on the losin' end  
So honey last night I met this guy and I'm gonna do a little favor for him**_

The couple's joyous reunion was cut short, and the lovedrunk Cody was replaced instantly with the hardened criminal that he had become on his "boss's" account.  
"You leave her alone. She's got nothing to do with this."  
"Oh really," the man scoffed, a sinister smile on his face.  
"Honest, Shadows, she doesn't."

A pair of hazel eyes glinting in the dark, and Helen was surprised to see the array of tattoos that littered his muscular arms, and the silver ring through his lip that glimmered in the glow of the lights.

"If she doesn't have anything to do with it, then what's she doing here?"  
"She brought me your package."  
The monster of a man before them received this news with an air of surprise.  
"My package? _The_ package?"  
Cody nodded curtly.  
"The very same."

Shadows studied them a moment, before digging in his pocket and pulling out a cell phone.  
There was a moment's pause, where he fished a cigarette from the box in his jeans, and lit it.  
He took a long drag before he spoke again.  
"Synyster. He's got it. You and the boys. Don't worry about coming out. I've got it covered."  
He exhaled, his breath a cloud of white smoke as he pocketed the phone again.

"Hand it over, Rhodes."  
"I've got the folder, as well. Helen," he breathed, offering his hand to his fiancé, who transferred the folder from her possession to his.  
Shadows ripped the folder from Cody's grasp, thumbing through its contents.  
There were a few moments of intense silence before Shadows snapped the folder shut, a smile spreading over his face as he pulled a pair of mirrored aviator shades from his coat pocket and placed them smartly on his face.

"Well, well, well Rhodes…I've got to say, you certainly surpassed my expectations. Not only were you able to run from me and my boys for four months…but you still came through on your end of the deal."  
Cody gave a wry smile, his heart thumping against his chest.  
Something still didn't feel right.  
"Unfortunately," Shadows said, dropping his cigarette on the ground, putting it out with his toe as his slipped his right hand casually into his pocket.  
There was a swift movement, an earsplitting **CRACK**, and Cody hit the ground, hands clutching his chest.  
Helen screaming, dropping beside him.  
"You know just a _little _too much, my friend."  
He sauntered slowly to the couple, his eyes on the woman.  
"And you," he murmured, pushing her hair back with the muzzle of the gun he had pulled, his free hand working at the belt on his hips.  
"You're almost in the same boat. But you're a pretty one. I can have some fun with you."

He leaned down towards her, sadistic smile on his face.  
There was another deafening crack, and Shadows stumbled away, hands over his heart, red liquid seeping through his fingers.

Helen sat, stunned by the sight of the .9mm in his grasp, and Shadows fell back with a groan.  
Her heart was racing, and there was a deafening silence pressing against her ears, broken only by the sound of her lover's voice.  
"Helen", he murmured softly.

She turned back to him, dropping the gun carelessly aside, and took his hand.  
His deep blue eyes flickered open as she pushed the hair from his brow.  
"You'll be okay," she whispered, digging in her jacket pocket for her phone and dialing 911.  
He shook his head slowly, breathing labored.  
"It's my time."  
"_Don't_. Don't you **dare **say that. What am I gonna tell little Malachi, huh?"  
Confusion crossed his features, and he furrowed his brow.  
"Malachi?"

She sniffed heavily, running her fingers along every curve of his face.  
"Yeah. Malachi. Your son."  
"S-son?"  
His fiancé smiled through the tears threatening to fall, took his hand, and pressed it to her already swelling belly.  
"I found out last week that it's a boy. He's due in December; somewhere near Christmas."  
"My…my son?"  
"Our little boy," she cooed, resting her forehead to his. "Our little boy needs his Daddy."

Cody breathing was shallow now, one hand going numb from the pressure with which Helen was clinging to it, the other rubbing gentle circles over his unborn son.  
"Well, then…It's Mommy's job to make sure he knows all about his Daddy."  
"No," she shook her head resolutely. "It's your job, Cody."  
"You're gonna have to tell him about how much I love him, and how proud of him I am."  
"NO!" she all but yelled. "You're going to tell him those things, Cody. You'll see him every day  
And can tell him yourself!"

His grip grew weaker, but Helen held tighter.  
His eyes began to flutter closed.  
"Don't! Don't Cody, please. Can't…can't you hear the sirens?"  
His hand reached up and cupped her cheek softly.  
"Tell my family what happened."  
"No…" she moaned, the first tear sliding down her cheek.  
"Tell them I love them."  
"Cody," she pleaded.  
"And never forget that I've loved you from the start. There was never a moment I didn't."

She couldn't hear one more word.  
Not one single word.  
She closed the distance between them, pressing her lips in a brutal kiss that she wished would last forever.  
By the time they finally broke, Cody had already taken his final breath.  
Even as she gazed at the face she had grown so accustomed to seeing nearly everyday, still so perfect in his final smile, the tears came crashing down.

"I'm not ready!" she sobbed, pounding her fist into the gravel.  
"I wasn't ready for this! You're supposed to be prepared!"  
Her tears fell over his face as she hung her head in sorrow.  
"Why couldn't you have warned me! **Some**one should have warned me!"

Her sorrow was in full effect as the bright, flashing blue and red lights surrounded her.  
She barely registered the blanket that was wrapped around her shoulders.  
All she cared about was that the love of her life was being laid out onto a stretched, beside the mad who killed him.

She ran to Cody's side, brushing her fingers over his face one last time, and she sang softly to him

_**"Well I guess everything dies baby that's a fact  
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back  
Put your hair up nice and set up pretty  
and meet me tonight in Atlantic City."**_

Five years later, and Helen is seated before Cody's headstone, and little Malachi is wrapped in her arms.  
"Was Daddy a handsome man?"  
"The handsomest," she grinned. "You look just like him. From your blue eyes to your messy hair!"  
"Was he a nice man?"  
"He was the kindest, sweetest, nicest man I ever knew. He took after your Grandpa Dusty."  
Malachi stared at his father headstone, deep in thought.  
"Mommy," he whispered, his eyes not leaving the granite before him. "Why did Daddy leave us?"  
He was so quiet, she hardly heard him.  
"Mal, sweetheart," she murmured, kissing his temple. "Do you think Daddy let us on purpose? That he wanted to leave us?"  
Malachi's eyes were filled to the brim with crystalline tears.  
"The kids at school say he went away because he didn't like me."  
As his body began to rack with sobs, Helen brought him as close to her as possible.  
"Malachi, there is no reason for you to worry. Your daddy wanted very much to be here for you. But he got into some trouble. He tried to fix it, but it didn't work. A very bad man decided that your daddy…decided that your daddy wasn't going to be with us."

Malachi's face glittered with tears.  
"Your daddy isn't here because someone did something very bad. It is not you fault. Do you understand me?"  
He nodded sadly.  
"I miss him."  
"I know, Baby. Mommy misses him, too. So much."

The pair sat in the light cover of snow for a little while longer.  
The sun had begun to set before Helen took her son's hand.  
"It's time to go, Sweetie. Say bye-bye to Daddy."  
Malachi laughed sweetly as his mother hoisted him up.  
"Bye-bye, Daddy," he sang, waving at the headstone.  
"Merry Christmas!" he yelled.  
Helen laughed lightly at her son's enthusiasm, before turning back to her lover's grave.  
"I love you, Cody."

As they wandered down the path, back towards their car, a light, airy, wintry breeze wrapped around Cody's fiancé and son, and a smile graced both of their lips.

_**Meet me tonight in Atlantic City  
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City.**_

Author's Note: I don't know or own Shadows, Synyster, or any of the A7X guys, either.  
Malachi is my own imagination.


End file.
